A close relationship
The complicity between Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, and Donald Trump, former President of the United States (USA) and Republican presidential candidate, has never been a secret. It wasn’t when Trump made his first running mate and it was clear when he governed and pushed policies favorable to Kremlin interests. Now that the former president is running for the White House again, former intelligence officials and other experts fear another Trump presidency would benefit Moscow and harm democracy and American interests abroad, according to The Guardian reports.
Worries and fears
Fiona Hill, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a national security official, told the British newspaper: “Trump sees Putin as a strong man. In a way they are working in parallel because they are both trying to weaken the US, but for reasons very different.” Former officials also worry that Trump could wreck US intelligence by appointing far-right loyalists like retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who served briefly in 2017 as Trump’s national security adviser.
Allies of Putin
Trump has flattered other autocrats, who are also in Putin’s orbit. For example, he has also praised Viktor Orbán, president of Hungary, who also maintains a very good relationship with the leader of the Kremlin. In addition, Trump has publicly aligned himself against US support for Ukraine. The former president was described as a “genius” and “very smart” when Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, and has boasted he would end the war in “a day”, sparking fears from critics that if re-elected Trump would help Russia secure a favorable peace deal by cutting off aid to Kyiv.
Putin’s support
For his part, the leader of the Kremlin has rowed in favor of Trump in his statements to the media. For example, in statements to the Russian agency TASS, the leader of the Kremlin has maintained that Biden would be better for Russia “because he is a person with more experience, he is predictable, he is a politician of old training”. What at first glance may seem like praise is actually a poisoned dart, as Putin’s support may hurt Biden during the campaign. The Russian president’s foils are ammunition against the Democratic candidate. However, a few days before these statements Putin gave the first interview on a Western platform since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. In the meeting with the far-right journalist Tucker Carlson, who was fired from Fox News for being radical, he maintained a very different position on his preferences for the future of the US election than he does now. At that time he said of Trump: “We have received numerous insults and slanders from several generations of [US] politicians. Mr. Trump was a refreshing break. He is very popular in Russia, although that may not help him at all.” (https://www.softcatala.org/resum-de-textos-en-catala/).
